Florida State Basketball

90.9 wbur - Only a Game

Since the late 80’s, FSU has been known for producing excellent sports programs. Football has always been the sport of choice for most of the students on campus. Saturdays in the fall consists of 86,000 fans gathering together to watch the Noles play at Doak Campbell Stadium, also known to locals as “Doak.” However, Tallahassee has never been known for its basketball. Seldom did people talk about FSU’s outstanding season, or even making it in the top 25. Florida State has just been a lingering shadow amongst perennial powerhouses of the ACC, like Duke and North Carolina. This year, FSU is experiencing a different spring semester. Each spring since freshman year, my focus has been on increasingly harder classes, and a sadly empty football stadium. Now, students are feeling the excitement for what has panned out to be a fantastic basketball season for the Noles. Students flood the doors of the Donald L. Tucker center. Tickets are almost impossible to come by, a recent Duke game sold out in 15 minutes. Local sports bars are always packed with fans watching basketball games. It seems to be a new era for the Seminoles.

The defensive minded and classroom oriented, Leonard Hamilton, Florida State’s head coach since 2002 has led the Noles to a 19-8 record, which places them at #16 in the polls. They also rank 3^rd in the ACC, sitting just behind North Carolina and Duke.

So what’s been the biggest difference this year for Florida State?

Ball control, consistency in shooting, and a powerful defense has helped lift the Seminoles to a great season. Michael Snaer and Deividas Dulkys have proven to be Florida State’s two impact players. Dulkys led the Noles in their 33-point victory over North Carolina. He finished the game with a career high 32 points.

Besides better fundamentals, senior leadership has kept the ‘Noles cool under pressure. Snaer has made two buzzer-beaters that helped Florida State beat both Duke and Virginia Tech.

Despite losing to both Harvard and Princeton earlier on in the season, and a late disappointing loss to Boston College, the Seminoles have managed to keep their tournament dreams alive. With only three games left against Miami, Virginia, and Clemson, the ‘Noles have a lot to look forward to in post-season play.

It pleases me to say that Tallahassee is finally feeling the college basketball atmosphere. The students are thrilled to have a team they can watch, and a court they can storm when the Seminoles beat the No. 1 and No. 3 ranked teams. It is an exciting time to be a Seminole here in Tallahassee, and we will continue to “Pack the Tuck” until our Noles win it all.

By the way, the six seniors on the team are all slated to graduate on time.